190 PROCEEDINGS OF TWENTY-SIXTH FRUIT-GROWERs' CONVENTION. 



Chicago, believe you will find results justify the effort. This can be done without 

 giving one line an undue proportion of the business, by alternating the lines over which 

 the trains would move ; but all notify us that unless they can get the fruit in trainloads, 

 they can not make the schedule called for. It will make no difference in our time up to 

 Ogden whether the fruit is there delivered to the Union Pacific or to the Rio Grande 

 Western. 



East of Ogden the Rio Grande-Pueblo route, recognizing the conditions under which 

 the traffic moves, will aim to meet the time of the Council Bluffs route indicated in the 

 foregoing. 



Shipments for St. Paul and Minneapolis on the one hand, and St. Louis on the other, 

 will be handled from point of divergence on the scheduled trains of the line handling 

 the fruit from the Missouri River. 



East of Chicago lines will handle as heretofore, the Erie Railroad Company notifying 

 us that their high-class freight train, which carries the fruit, leaves Chicago in the 

 afternoon, but reaches New York on or about 4:30 a. m. third morning, Philadelphia 

 6:30 A. M. third morning, Boston 4 a. m. fourth morning out from Chicago. 



You are aware that the standard for fast trains carrying perishable freight from 

 Chicago to New York is about sixty hours. Lines east of Chicago point out that to 

 speed up their trains in this business would not mend matters, as the fruit would arrive 

 either in the afternoon or the early night hours prior to present arrival, and from either 

 the shippers would derive no benefit as compared with present deliveries; further than 

 this, the way is not clear to handling California fruit on faster schedule time than the 

 pe'rishable freight local to their own lines. 



With reference to the minimum load of green fruit per car, you have alreadj' been 

 notified by the agent of the Transcontinental Freight Bureau that the lines have 

 decided to reduce this minimum from 26,000 to 24,000 pounds per car, which I am 

 gratified to hereby confirm, this concession being made to meet the views your 

 memorial sets forth. 



Trust that you will concur that the foregoing indicates that the expressions given 

 your Convention of intention to go into this matter carefully and endeavor to meet the 

 needs of the fruit-growers as expressed in that Convention, have not been lost sight of, 

 but, on the contrary, are being fulfilled. We trust that the results during the season 

 about to open will bring profit to the fruit-growers and renewed friendly relations with 

 the carriers. 



Will you kindly acknowledge receipt? 

 Yours truly, 



(Signed:) WILLIAM SPROULE. 



R. D. Stephens to Robert Graham. 



Sacramento, November 20, 1901. 



Mb. Robert Graham, 



Mgr. F. G. E. Ref. Car Line, 



Sacramento, Cal.: 



Dear Sir: As the question of cost for refrigeration is one of great importance to the 

 fruit-growers of the State, and materially affects their interests, I, as chairman of their 

 Committee on Transportation, will ask you whether, for the season of 1902, it is probable 

 that there will be a reduction from the charges for refrigeration made in 1901, for the 

 transportation of California green deciduous fruit to Eastern markets, by the company 

 you have the honor to represent. 



I desire information on this subject so that I will be able to present it to the Fruit- 

 Growers* Convention, which is called to meet in San Francisco on December 3, 1901. 



Yours respectfully, 



(Signed:) R. D. STEPHENS, 

 Chairman Cal. F. G. Transportation Committee. 



